This short but invigorating story about two totally opposite women was a delightful read. Gail who is a down to earth bartender drives schoolteacher Julie, who is a very rich, very posh well-bred ‘lady’ nearly delirious with her carefree banter and blasé attitude. But when Julie’s snooty mother invites the couple home for the holidays Julie is worried Gail will not live up to Mother’s expectations or be on her best behavior. Gail simply wants Julie to be happy and is willing to do whatever that takes, within reason. However, when they arrive at the beautiful mountain home in Vail and the family gathers to eat and exchange presents they’ll each discover a gift of their own. 

Jodi Payne writes in wonderful first person with a second person point of view style. Her writing is fresh, clear and captivating. The characters portrayed in For Better or Worse are witty and down to earth. Gail is definitely my kinda girl as she narrators the story but includes the reader as if you were sitting right beside her. I enjoyed Jodi Payne’s short immensely and look forward to reading longer pieces of her work in the future.